“No:” replied the Lady Abracadabra; “it is too late now. The sooner you take leave of your son the better. But first, Prince Eigenwillig, come here to me.”
“I won’t!” cried the Prince doggedly.
“It will be the worse for you if you don’t,” said the Fairy.
“I won’t, I tell you!” repeated the Prince.
“Oh Eigenwillig,” cried his mother, “for mercy’s sake, do as you are bid; you know not what the consequences of disobedience may be!”
“Come, when I call you!” said Lady Abracadabra calmly, but fixing her eye upon him, “come here and beg Witikind’s pardon for all your abominable conduct towards him.”
Eigenwillig approached Witikind, who had already a smile of reconciliation on his face, expecting that the Prince would now gladly make up for his error. But the Hope of the Katzekopfs had no such intention. He advanced indeed close to Witikind, and stretched out one hand towards him, but with the other he snatched the Fairy’s wand off the table, and before she could prevent him, he struck Witikind over the head, and exclaimed, “Detestable creature! be thou turned into a timid hare! Mays’t thou be hunted to death by dogs and men!”
In another instant he was gazing in amazement at what he had done; for such was the portentous power of Abracadabra’s wand that, even in his hands, it failed not to work the required transformation. Witikind was crouching before them, a terrified trembling hare!
“Well!” cried the Fairy, “be it so. You have but anticipated my purpose, evil-minded child that you are!” She opened a door that led into the garden, and said,
“Hare! Hare! hurry away!